Makoona by John Morano

John Morano

So well researched, so tightly written, at times it’s difficult to tell where fact ends and fantasy begins.

Welcome to the inspiring story of Binti, a female octopus who lives in the Makoona coral reef, and Kemar, a Cambodian boy who fishes the reef.

As a mollusk without a shell, Binti believes she’s missing something… but the reef is a dangerous place to search for anything, let alone the shell that will make her complete and let her communicate with the spirit-fish. But helped by her friends and a psychedelic octopus who speaks in Grateful Dead lyrics, the search is on.

Fifteen-year-old Kemar, a boatperson fleeing the Khmer Rouge, fishes the waters around Makoona where he crosses the path of a strange octopus and befriends both a Vietnam vet and an old American mechanic who claims she was once a world-famous aviator.

Makoona will make you laugh out loud as it transports you into the world of the coral reef and takes you on an island adventure that never loses sight of environmental concerns, personal fulfillment, friendship, self-awareness, and the tenets of eco-literature that Morano created in his unforgettable first novel, A Wing and a Prayer.

Like Wing, Makoona is a children’s book for adults and a young adult novel with universal themes, a story that you can enjoy by yourself or share with the entire family.

Featuring a special introduction by Kathryn Fuller, President of the World Wildlife Fund.

John Morano

About John Morano:

John Morano is a professor of journalism at Monmouth University in New Jersey. He also served as the founding editor-in-chief of ROCKbeat Magazine, managing editor of Modern Screen Magazine and senior editor for Inside Books Magazine.

A writer very concerned with endangered species and habitat depletion, he has spent most of his life living on or near the ocean, and enjoys using the sea as a primary setting for his works.

His other books in the Eco Adventure Series include: A Wing and a Prayer and Out There, Somewhere.

Morano’s formal education includes the institutions of Penn State University, Clark University and Adelphi University.

Praise for Makoona:

“Morano brings the reader right into the undersea life of an endangered coral reef… We feel the gentle currents and see the brilliant colors… The reader is enchanted.”—Kathy Toohey, Night & Day Press

“… so well researched, so tightly written, at times it’s difficult to tell where fact ends and fantasy begins.”—Roger Caras, best-selling author and former President of the ASPCA

“Sometimes it takes a book like Makoona to remind us just what amazing sights are lurking beneath the surface… It brings the ocean and its life to us… reminding us of its value and what needs to be done.”—Kathryn Fuller, President of World Wildlife Fund

“Entertaining for all ages… Morano has found his niche writing about ecological issues.” —Terry Lipshetz, Home News Tribune